UNDECLARED ALLERGENS IN LOTTE AND CROWN BRANDS OF BISCUITS FROM KOREA OTTAWA, June 12, 2009 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning people with allergies to milk, eggs or hazelnuts not to consume various Lotte and Crown brands of Biscuits described below. These products contain allergens which are not declared on the labels. All codes of the following Lotte and Crown brands of Biscuits, products of Korea, are affected by this alert. Product information below can be found on the package and the sticker applied for the Canadian market. via ALLERGY ALERT – UNDECLARED ALLERGENS IN LOTTE AND CROWN BRANDS OF BISCUITS FROM KOREA. Share...

Although it has been a little over three months since PepsiCo Foods Canada announced that their Quaker Rice Cakes and Crispy Minis now may contain peanut, I’ve been disturbed that they are still on the menu at daycares with peanut-allergic children in our city. In fact, these products were for so long considered a staple as a “safe-snack,” and many still consider them as such. I was a regular consumer of these rice cakes, and I might not have learned of the formulation change (which is the result of the introduction of the new peanut butter flavours) if I wasn’t a regular visitor to the Allergic Living message board where someone had posted an alert. I think these alerts were sent to those who have registered to receive Quaker Foods product alerts and not many, if any, other folks. Luckily for me, I was pre-warned of the change, and carefully inspected the packaging of the Quaker Rice Cakes, eventually finding the “MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS” warning. Shortly after, when a friend of mine was packing a few bags of these rice cakes to bring on a trip she was taking with her peanut-allergic son, she was shocked when I told her that she’d better look for a warning on the packaging. Her shock turned to annoyance as we both tried to straighten out the top of the rice cake package, scrunched together with a bread-bag-type tie, to read the warning. The warning is, shall we say, NOT obvious. These rice cakes were a staple at my son’s child care centre, and I’m having some difficulty erasing the concept of Quaker Rice Cakes being a safe snack from their minds. I’ve finally found them an alternative brand (NoName) for which I’ve obtained the manufacturer’s assurance that they are free from peanuts. But change is slow, and this week the child care centre accidentally purchased and served the Quaker brand (I was able to intervene before my son was given any). I’ll continue to spread the news to others and hope the news continues to spread. It would be nice if the multinational, billion-dollar-earning, food-producing corporations could help out too. Share...

ALLERGY ALERT UNDECLARED PEANUTS IN BERGEN BRAND APPLE CINNAMON COOKIES OTTAWA, April 16, 2009 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Dollarama are warning people with allergies to peanut proteins not to consume the Bergen brand Apple Cinnamon Cookies described below. The affected product may contain peanuts which are not declared on the label. All Best Before date codes of the Bergen brand Apple Cinnamon Cookies, product of Poland, sold in 150 g packages are affected by this alert. This product has been distributed nationally. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product. Consumption of this product may cause a serious or life-threatening reaction in persons with allergies to peanuts. The importer, Dollarama, Montreal, QC is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall. For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday). For information on peanuts, one of the nine most common food allergens, visit the Food Allergens web page at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/allerg/peaarae.shtml For information on receiving recalls by e-mail, or for other food safety facts, visit our web site at www.inspection.gc.ca. via ALLERGY ALERT – UNDECLARED PEANUTS IN BERGEN BRAND APPLE CINNAMON COOKIES. Share...

OTTAWA, April 10, 2009 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Dollarama are warning people with allergies to peanut proteins not to consume the Bergen brand Almond Cookies described below. The affected product may contain peanuts which are not declared on the label. All Best Before date codes of the Bergen brand Almond Cookies, product of Poland, sold in 145 g packages are affected by this alert. This product has been distributed nationally. There has been one reported illness associated with the consumption of this product. Consumption of this product may cause a serious or life-threatening reaction in persons with allergies to peanuts. The importer, Dollarama, Montreal, QC is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall. For more information, consumers and industry can call one of the following numbers: For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday). via ALLERGY ALERT – UNDECLARED PEANUTS IN BERGEN BRAND ALMOND COOKIES. Share...